Antigone Rising
The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths
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Antigone Rising
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Narrated by:
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Gabra Zackman
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Written by:
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Helen Morales
About this listen
A witty, inspiring reckoning with the ancient Greek and Roman myths and their legacy, from what they can illuminate about #MeToo to the radical imagery of Beyoncé.
The picture of classical antiquity most of us learned in school is framed in certain ways - glossing over misogyny while omitting the seeds of feminist resistance. Many of today's harmful practices, like school dress codes, exploitation of the environment, and rape culture, have their roots in the ancient world.
But in Antigone Rising, classicist Helen Morales reminds us that the myths have subversive power because they are told - and read - in different ways. Through these stories, whether it's Antigone's courageous stand against tyranny or the indestructible Caeneus, who inspires trans and genderqueer people today, Morales uncovers hidden truths about solidarity, empowerment, and catharsis.
Antigone Rising offers a fresh understanding of the stories we take for granted, showing how we can reclaim them to challenge the status quo, spark resistance, and rail against unjust regimes.
©2020 Helen Morales (P)2020 Hachette AudioWhat the critics say
"Faithful to its summons of Ralph Ellison in the preface, Helen Morales' Antigone Rising will enlarge you. Probing, learned, and heartfelt, this book advances a generous and inspiring vision of Greek myth for the 21st century. This is a book not just to read but to cherish, ideally with The Carters' Apeshit as sonic accompaniment." (Dan-el Padilla Peralta, associate professor of classics, Princeton, and author of Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League)
"Engaging and well-researched, this book reveals how canonical narratives that appear to uphold (white) patriarchy can be reclaimed to benefit the very groups that patriarchy attempts to suppress. Concise, incisive, and provocative." (Kirkus Reviews)
"From pussy hats to melting polar ice, Helen Morales finds unexpected ways to connect contemporary political uprisings with Greek and Roman mythology. While rooted in serious research, Antigone Rising is also revealing enough to make the mythology personal." (Mary Norris, author of Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen)
What listeners say about Antigone Rising
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chelsea Patterson
- 2024-01-04
Sooo good!
Antigone Rising by Helen Morales
Is subversive!
This book is truly wonderful. It revisits myths of ancient Greece and Rome, reinterprets and parallels them to ongoing feminist issues of the 21st century. Most of the plays and myths a western educated reader would know. As were a lot of the feminist subjects ie. themes that are well studied and documented and other feminist books.
What made Morales’ book so interesting, was looking at the same situation in the same myth from two sides and encouraging us to think what are people trying to say when they co-op ancient myths. For example Thumps desire to project an image of Apollo, the known rapist and silencing of woman Greek God.
Apollo who continued to use and abuse Daphne long after she tried to escape as a tree, and is forever linked and adorning him as his laurel wreath. Morales brings in great parallels of this myth to girls and women who dissociate when encountering sexual assault. Which was a brilliant interpretation.
There is an excellent chapter about Beyoncé, the idea of Venus, and white supremacy. Equally good is the No Peace No Piece chapter focusing on Lysistrata and Chi-Raq, as well as ongoing body autonomy and women’s healthcare protests.
The fascinating thing about Antigone Rising is the focus on girls. Girls on the threshold of childhood and sexualization. The threshold where one starts to notice one is not treated the same as one was as a pre-pubescent, but also how girls and boys have different expectations. Policing of girls' clothing, girls' responsibility to not distract, and the lack of consequences for boys creating “kill that thot” videos. It is very thought provoking that in the same high schools girls are being sent home because their collar bones were showing and thus a distraction to the educational environment. But boys who made a public killing list are not deemed a distraction to the student body or teachers and remained in school.
This book is for anyone interested in myths, retellings, English class, feminism, sociology or social justice. It truly is a must read.
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